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I’m going to take a wild guess and say that if you are reading this, you’re interested in blogging, not just today, but for the long haul. Maybe you’re thinking about starting a blog. Or maybe you already have one and are wondering, I started this site, now what? I’m pretty sure I can post this week, but what about next week, and the week after?

We’ve got you covered. Here are eight ways long-term bloggers sustain their blogs not only through the first few weeks, but through the years.

1. Blog like nobody is watching.

Have you heard the expression “Dance like nobody’s watching”? It’s always been a favorite quote of mine, especially when I’m on a dance floor and I’m feeling self-conscious about making a fool of myself. I think about people looking at me and I lose my rhythm. But as soon as I think, Who cares? Pretend nobody is watching , I can shut down my doubts and forget about everyone else. I tune the world out, let the music move through me, and I dance.

This same sentiment works with blogging. If you feel self-conscious about writing, write like nobody is reading. Get it out. Let the words flow and don’t worry about anyone else. Your blog is your place to express yourself.

2. Don’t let perfection be a blocker.

The first tip, to blog like nobody is watching, is about getting the initial words out without censoring yourself. This tip is about editing once the words are on the screen.

Sometimes you’ll pen a rough draft, but then get stuck when tidying the post for publication. “Do I leave this paragraph or do I cut it? Maybe I shouldn’t use that word. Wow, does this even make sense? I can’t publish this — it’s not just right.”

It’s very easy to get analysis paralysis. Let it go. Perfect is the enemy of Done.

3. Use the device you have with you.

The best blogging device is the one that is closest at hand. Have you ever been out in the world, had an idea for a post, and thought, “I can’t wait to get home to my computer so I can blog about this”?

Forget the computer. There’s no need to wait. Pull out your phone and publish from the

WordPress app . I dedicated one month to publishing exclusively from my phone, and I loved the immediacy of the blog post going up while I was still doing the thing I was blogging about. Here are some great tips for posting from your tablet, phone, and other mobile devices.

4. Challenge yourself.

Speaking of dedicating a month to publishing from a mobile device, I’m going to let you in on a big secret: many long-term bloggers sustain their blogs through the years by setting challenges for themselves. Here are a few goals from seasoned bloggers:

Zandy Ring of Revelry Reverie set a goal to blog from her mobile device for one month. The month turned to much longer, and now Zandy publishes almost exclusively from the mobile app. Zandy has been blogging since 2010 and is currently on a 93-day streak.

Erica Varlese of Greetings From has been blogging since 2011. In 2015 she decided to snap one photograph per day for a year. Once a week, she published a roundup of the week’s photographs. Take a look at her post, “ 365 Photos – 52/52!” for a recap of the project.

In April 2015, I challenged myself to publish one 10-minute freewrite from my

prompt box every day for a month on my

Butterfly Mind blog. I did this April, then again in November, and again whenever I want to jump-start my blog. Challenges like this have kept me blogging since 2012.

Last year, Luca Sartoni dedicated to publishing a post a day for a month. The month was successful, so Luca stretched and challenged himself to a year. He has been blogging since 2006 and is currently on a 305-day streak.

Ben Dwyer challenged himself to publish one haiku per day for a year on his site Diurnal Haiku . The daily haiku continued long after the first year was over, and he is currently on a 609-day streak. Ben has been publishing on his

Scruffian blog since 2005.

5. Schedule instead of saving as Draft.

This is a trick I learned recently from Sheri Bigelow of

Cuteness, in all its versatility . Sheri has been photoblogging since 2008, and she recommends that when you start a post,

schedule it for publication.

Saving a post as a draft makes it easy to abandon it. Scheduling gives you a deadline, motivates you to complete your thoughts, and results in a published blog post at the end.

6. Give your blog a makeover.

Your blog is your online home. Make it a place where you want to spend time. If you visit your site and are bored, or don’t like the way it looks, or don’t feel cozy and comfortable, you won’t be motivated to keep it active.

When you visit your blog and don’t want to hang out there, it’s time to freshen it up. Move the furniture around, paint the walls. You can do this by activating a new theme, rearranging widgets , and you can even change colors and fonts.

If you are nervous about making changes to your site while it’s live, here are some tips for freshening up your blog’s look. Once you love the way your blog feels, you’ll want to spend time there. You’ll want to invite people over to show it off. You’ll be excited to publish to it so you can sit in it and admire your work.

7. Mix it up.

A blog can contain multitudes. It doesn’t have to consist exclusively of brilliant, thoughtful posts. It doesn’t have to just be photos. One day you can publish a favorite quote. Another day you might publish a photograph from your morning walk. One day you might publish a thoughtful essay you spent a week writing. Another day you can link to a funny video you watched.

Many successful long-term bloggers, including Matt Mullenweg , WordPress co-founder and blogger since 2002, publish a combination of the following:

Individual photographs

Quotes

Thoughtful essays

Videos

Links

Photo galleries

Quick blurbs

Many themes offer post formats so that you can make different types of content “pop” on your site. Mixing up your post types, and using post formats to make them stand out, adds visual variety to your site, makes it interesting for visitors to look at and read, and gives you a range of options to choose from when publishing.

8. Have fun!

Your blog is your place to express yourself. Enjoy it. Play with it. Try new things, poke around, experiment. It doesn’t have to be anything other than what you want it to be. Have fun with it!

What keeps you going as a blogger? Teach us! Please share in the comme

I’m going to take a wild guess and say that if you are reading this, you’re interested in blogging, not just today, but for the long haul. Maybe you’re thinking about starting a blog. Or maybe you already have one and are wondering, I started this site, now what? I’m pretty sure I can post this week, but what about next week, and the week after?

Alec Nevala-Lee publishes five hundred words per day, and has done so for more than five years. He shares his approach in this Discover interview with editor Cheri Lucas Rowlands.

We’ve got you covered. Here are eight ways long-term bloggers sustain their blogs not only through the first few weeks, but through the years.

1. Blog like nobody is watching.

Have you heard the expression “Dance like nobody’s watching”? It’s always been a favorite quote of mine, especially when I’m on a dance floor…

It’s easy to let details fall through the cracks when it comes to optimizing your blog posts.Today’s guest blogger, Barry Feldman, shares a checklist to help you stay on track with the most important blogging action items.

The Tiv people are the 4th largest ethnic group in Nigeria. If the Hausas are counted separately from the Fulanis, the Tiv people will be the third largest ethnic group.
The Tiv people in Benue, Nasarawa, Taraba and other states gave Buhari a block vote in the last election.
President Buhari has refused to appoint a Tiv man in his government. No Minister, Ambassador, DG, Special Adviser etc
President Buhari should come out clear and tell us the reason for this. We demand to know why we are treated this way.

Tiv leaders should also comeout and tell us what they negotiated with APC/Buhari before the election and why we are now treated like foreigners in our country.
I am saying this because we the Tiv youths are not happy. PMB and the Tiv leaders should tell us what is happening.

Like a goat that is pushed to the wall, we want to know who to bite.
~injustice is the forerunner of violence~ by STEPHEN AKUMA

This incident happened live when the Revealed father started praying purring holy water on the cuff after some minutes he used his leg and opened the cuff and the man rise up and celebrate with his family members.

A Benue-born teenage author, Debbie Doowuese Ajom, has appealed to the public to attend her book launch to enable her to raise funds for the furtherance of her education.
Debbie who dails from Mbayion, in Gboko LGA of Benue State made the appeal in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.
She said “I have gained admission to read English Language and Literature with Troy University, Alabama, U.S.A., because of my track record in authoring three books.
“The books are — The Magic Stone and other stories, Escape from Shackles and My Little Strides, which I wrote between ages nine and 15.
“The aim of launching my fourth book is to enable me to raise money to further my studies.”
She noted that the launch of the fourth book, titled “The Triumph of a Girl-Child” had been scheduled for Oct. 27 at the National Centre for Women Development, Abuja.
She said that the presence and support of the public at the launch would enable her to explore literacy talent to the entire universe.
According to her, the support will help to identify her with the likes of late Chinua Achebe, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Chimamanda Adichie, among others.
She said “always remember that if you train a girl, you train a nation.”
Meanwhile, Debbie Doowuese Ajom who published her first novel titled ‘The Magic Stone and Other Stories’ in 2010 when she was only 9 and in JSS 1, says her concern for the plight of the poor and the less privileged members of the society activated her creative ingenuity.
Although she has attended public schools all her life, the young author is one latest example of a teenager determined to etch her name on the literary map of Nigeria and the world.

DO NOT TEMPER WITH THE GOD OF THE TIV NATION (SWEM)
Sequel to the above subject matter, I write to inform you of the consequences of your intention against the Tiv tradition.

Your excellency sir, tradition is natural, thus; it does not need to temper with. Of course your office is supreme to ordinary people of the land, but inferior to the culture and tradition of the Tiv nation as a people.

I may like you to know that before Christianity arrived, people were existing and our people were communicating with God through (Aondo u Abaver zua, Aondo U Iyookoo and God was answering them with immediate effect.

Again, the Tor Tiv stool came into existence before Benue state was created. From inception of Benue state, Governors have ruled and ruled beginning from military to civilian, Christians to clergy yet, no one has tempered with the custom and tradition of our land. Late Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu, a reverend father with the catholic church, the highest and most populated church in the whole world once ruled our state but respected our culture and tradition.

According to history, Makir Dzape was sworn in as the first paramount ruler of the Tiv nation against the wishes of the Gods, how long did he preside over the Tiv nation? Akperan Orshi refused to abide by the tradition of our land in the name of being a Christian, how long did he preside? And now you are telling us to set tradition aside and carry bible for Gods intervention in our land.

Are you telling us that you will also ask the ochi idoma to retake his oath using bible?

Your Excellency, I finally want to tell you that even in Yoruba land where your highest pastor of your redeemed Christian church, whom you claim to be pastor with, Oba’ s are sworn by tradition and not with bible.

Your excellency sir, do not let the world laugh at us the Tiv people as our Gods will rise against us if you put your intention into action.

I stand on the grave of Jato-Aka at Jato aka town in Turan, Kwande local government area of Benue state to advice you as a concern member of the Tiv nation.

I shall soon be on my way to Makurdi where you took that unlawful decision.

I will be happy if you can have a rethink about your decision before the gods strikes you and your intended anointed bible paramount ruler.
Yours in truth
Kaa Kpough U-Tiv

The leader of the Jamaatul Izalatul Bid’ah Mosque in Farm Centre, Kano has reacted to the comments made by the wife of the president, Aisha Buhari during a recent interview with BBC.

The Islamic leader, Shiek Ismail Illyasu Mangu in reaction to the interview called for the immediate arrest of the first lady noting that her interview is capable of inciting violence.
He said to the thousands of worshipers immediately after the Jumaat prayer yesterday, “We are sad about the interview granted by the wife of the President. We believe that opposition members in the country are using her against the government. Her statement is unfair and capable of inciting violence. It is a threat to the peace of the country and we do hope the security agencies will immediately arrest her.

President Muhammadu Buhari has replied Aisha, his wife, on her decision not to support him for a second term in office, saying she belongs to his kitchen.
Aisha had in an interview openly questioned her husband’s work and said she might not support him for a second term in office.
Responding to Aisha’s comments in Germany where he is on a state visit President Buhari laughed it off, saying, “I don’t know which party my wife belongs to, but she belongs to my kitchen and my living room and the other room.”
His comments to reporters in Germany prompted German Chancellor Angela Merkel, standing at his side, to give him a short glare and then laugh.
1st Class News

The Emir of Katsina, Abdulmumini Kabir, has denied the alleged abduction and forceful marriage of 17-year-old Habiba Isyaku.

Emir Kabir made the denial during a meeting with the Katsina branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on Thursday in Katsina.

The emir, represented by one of the king makers, Nuhu Abdulkadir, the ‘Kauran-Katsina’, said it was the Commissioner of Police who sent the matter to the palace for resolution.

He said the girl embraced Islam on her own volition.

According to him, the father of the girl, Isyaku Tanko, had petitioned the police that one Jamilu Lawal had abducted his daughter, converted her to Islam and married her without their consent.

Mr. Lawal is said to work in the palace of the Emir Kabir.

The Emir said that during investigation, the palace discovered that Habiba embraced Islam on her own volition.

He said that the girl had indicated her interest in marrying Jamilu, who is from the same area with her, and that the Emirate Council married her to her heartthrob, who paid N50,000 as dowry.

He said the palace interviewed the girl to ascertain if she was forced to accept Islam, and she said no, and declined following her father home.

The Emir further said that the father of the girl had written an apology to the palace after discovering that he had made wrong accusations to council, and showed the letter to journalists present.

In his remarks, the Katsina State CAN Chairman, Nelson Onyekachukwu, said the palace should always contact CAN in the state on such matters.

‘’We should be given time to go home and discuss with the parents and Kankara CAN branch on the matter and report back to the palace,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, Tanko had told a news conference organised by Stefanos Foundation in Abuja on Wednesday that Jamilu had admitted to abducting his daughter.

He said that his daughter would be 15 years old on Saturday, and that she was kidnapped from her school, Government Senior Secondary School, Kudun Kankara, Kastina State by one Jamilu Lawal.

He also said that she had been forcefully converted to Islam and married off by the Emir without her parents’ consent.

“My little girl was abducted on the 16th of August, 2016, from her school. After my investigations, I discovered that Jamilu Lawal, who lives in the same community, was responsible for my daughters’ disappearance.’’

He said that he had lodged a formal complaint with the Commissioner of Police in Kastina, and that he had also gone to the palace to retrieve his daughter but his mission was unsuccessful.

“On arrival at the Palace, the Emir informed me that my daughter has been converted from Christianity to Islam henceforth.

“There is no longer any relationship between me and my daughter and we can no longer inherit each other. He further informed me that he has received the sum of N50, 000 as dowry from Jamilu Ibrahim for my daughter.

“Therefore, he will give her out in marriage in accordance with Islamic rites and injunctions.

“He accused me of defaming him at the Police Station and I was threatened, intimidated and coerced to sign an apology drafted on my behalf in his Palace.

He appealed to well-meaning Nigerians and those in authority to help assist him to secure the release of his daughter.

On his part, Mark Lipdo, the Programme Coordinator for Stafanos Foundation, an NGO, said that the organisation intervened in conflicts.

“We have been trying to intervene in the conflicts going on in Nigeria; we believe in the human rights of all citizens and encourage that fundamental rights be upheld at all times to maintain a sane society.

He noted that Habiba, who had just completed her Junior Secondary School with very good grades, had much prospects.

He said the foundation had petitioned the Inspector General of Police with a view to securing the girls” release but had yet to get a response.

“The girl is a minor and things like this have to stop happening in this country because if it continues, people are going to resort to self-help,’’ Mr. Lipdo said.